Battery storage how it could solve our energy problems

Why are batteries so important?

2) Batteries are starting to show exactly how they'll play a crucial role on the grid. When there are small amounts of renewables, it’s not all that important to have storage available, since the sun’s rising and setting will cause little more than blips in the overall energy mix.

Can K-Na/S batteries save energy?

In a new study recently published by Nature Communications, the team used K-Na/S batteries that combine inexpensive, readily-found elements — potassium (K) and sodium (Na), together with sulfur (S) — to create a low-cost, high-energy solution for long-duration energy storage.

Are lithium-ion batteries a solution to energy problems?

One solution to this problem is lithium-ion batteries, which are already linked up to power grids worldwide. They can be charged using electricity generated from wind and solar and release that energy on demand.

What happens if a battery is not used?

But power that isn't used becomes lost. A more favorable solution is, of course, to store this energy for later use. Storing this in conventional batteries, say lithium-ion batteries, poses more environmental problems due to the way lithium is mined, even before we look at problems like losing capacity as the batteries are used.

How do gravity batteries work?

If the world is to reach net-zero, it needs an energy storage system that can be situated almost anywhere, and at scale. Gravity batteries work in a similar way to pumped hydro, which involves funnelling water uphill before releasing it through turbines to generate energy (Credit: Getty Images)

Are lithium-ion batteries the future of energy storage?

Long the industry standard, lithium-ion batteries come with considerable drawbacks that limit their widescale adoption as the grid-energy storage medium of choice. Hotter summers, drier forests, rising waters: climate change is not just a threat to our future, it’s hurting our world right now.